Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart took the media by storm when they first began dating.
The most notable aspect of their relationship is the fact that Ford is 22 years her senior.
Naturally, their relationship was met with loads of scepticism since Ford was still
legally married to his second wife when he met Calista. With two failed marriages in
his back pocket, how was his relationship with Flockhart going to be any different?
Mr. Indiana Jones has been no stranger to romance that came along with its sprinkle of controversy.
The actor was first married to illustrator and chef Mary Marquardt ) from 1964 to 1979,
and the couple had two sons together, Ben and Willard.
When the couple split, it was first thought that the unusual "irreconcilable differences" were the
reason for the pair to part ways. Unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case. Following the
release of the late and beloved actress Carrie Fisher's memoir in 2017, it was revealed that
she and Ford had had an affair on the set of 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
As it turned out, Ford's betrayal was more likely to be the reason that he and his first wife split.
Scandal? Yes, we think so. However, despite the crumbling of his first marriage,
the actor didn't stop believing that he would meet the right woman and live his happily-ever-after.
Just four years later, Ford said "I do" to screenwriter Melissa Mathison . They went on to
have two children, Malcolm and Georgia. It seemed as though the couple was absolutely smitten with
each other, and fans thought that this time, Harrison had finally met his perfect match.
Unfortunately, it turned out not to be the case yet again. The couple began living separately
in 2000, but despite their separation, they were determined to make their marriage work.
They briefly reconciled, attended regular visits to a couples therapist,
and did their very best to repair their broken relationship.
Sadly, all their hard work turned out to be of no use, and Mathison filed for divorce in 2001.
It's not known why the couple chose to part ways, but we think in this case that they just simply
weren't meant to be. Sometimes couples drift apart, change and want different things, and there
isn't necessarily one person to blame. So Melissa and Harrison decided that their marriage wasn't
working and rather stuck around to force things to work, they respectively decided to divorce.
In Ford's case, it all worked out for the best because he hadn't yet met the woman
that would steal his heart. Lucky for him, she wasn't very far away. In 2002,
while he was still legally married to Melissa - because the divorce hadn't
been finalized yet - Harrison met fellow actress Calista Flockhart.
It was reported that Calista was looking for an excuse to speak to Harrison,
so she planned to 'accidentally' spill her glass of wine on him while casually walking past.
With her wingman at hand, James Marsden), they arranged the setup, and it worked!
Although the couple denied that Flockhart attempted to take fate into her own hands,
instead, they explained that it was James who set them up to meet instead.
"She certainly did not purposely spill a glass of wine on me," Harrison confessed.
Calista went on to explain, "We were having a conversation for maybe 20
minutes before the wine spilled, and the truth is, Harrison spilled the wine!"
We don't really care who spilled the wine and why because it doesn't matter.
What really matters is that sparks immediately flew between the pair,
and Harrison was completely blown away by Calista's charm and beauty.
Ford soon invited Flockhart out for dinner. Flockhart felt a little too nervous about going
to dinner alone, so she asked James Marsden to come with her yet again to play wingman.
Recalling the incident in a 2013 interview, Marsden revealed,
"She said, 'Come to dinner with me and Harrison.' I'm like, 'Me,
you, and him?' It turned out to be a small group of us, thankfully, but I ended up as her wingman."
The group had dinner, then headed back to Ford's home for drinks and music. James shared that Ford
was "giggly and goofy" around Calista but "pretty aloof" with the rest of the group, which only
proved how smitten he had become for the actress. No one else mattered; he only had eyes for her.
At one point during dinner, while the group was enjoying their drinks and music at Ford's place,
Marsden shared that the actor gave him "... a look that said, 'OK, you've got to get the f*** out
of here.'" Taking the hint, the rest of the group left, leaving Harrison and Calista alone together.
From that point on, the Star Wars actor and Flockhart were an item.
The two stayed pretty lowkey about their relationship in the beginning,
mostly because Ford was still waiting for his divorce from Melissa to be finalized.
And if you think that the actor's romantic past was a problem for Calista, think again. She wasn't
bothered by his previous failed marriages or their twenty-two-year age difference.
The actress shared in an interview, "It doesn't faze me. Sometimes I even say,
'Wow, I keep forgetting that he's 22 years older than me'.
It doesn't factor into our relationship at all," she confessed.
Flockhart also added that she even felt older than Ford sometimes, they had so much in common,
and he made her laugh. They were having so much fun together; she felt as though he brought an
abundance of love and light into her life. Being with Harrison was like a breath of fresh air.
"I like the way he looks first thing in the morning.
It's not handsome, it's more cute. He looks like a little boy," she gushed.
By 2003, he was absolutely head over heels for the actress, and he couldn't
stop gushing about her either. He also shared that it is never too late for romance, adding,
"I'm in love. Romantic love is one of the most exciting and fulfilling kinds of love
and I think there is a potential for it at any stage of your life.
I was not surprised that I was able to fall in love, and I wasn't surprised that I did."
While it's likely the actress can come up with a long list of things she adores about her man,
one of the things she loves most about him is that Harrison is a free spirit.
We also shouldn't forget that he also chose to adopt her son after they wed in 2009.
In 2001, a year before meeting her future husband, Flockhart had adopted a son. While
Ford didn't expect to become a dad again, since he already had four kids from two previous marriages,
he didn't miss a beat. He happily adopted Liam Flockhart because he
thought that when you love someone, you embrace all aspects of their life.
In a 2010 interview, the actor shared, "I wasn't expecting it at all.
The unexpected part was certainly true, and the joy part is also true. I think Liam was
about 6 or 8 months old when I met him and Calista. We have been together ever since."
According to the interviewer, "Ford's eyes light up when he talks about Liam,"
and his devotion came through in his answers as well.
Fords also added that, because of his age, he's "much better at parenting now."
"On the weekends, I do whatever Calista and Liam want to do. We'll take a couple of hours on Sunday
morning to go motorcycle riding or go for a hike. I just made a birdhouse with my son."
A decade into their union, and they're still going strong,
enjoying married life and spending plenty of time with their now teenage son. And their bond just
keeps getting stronger. While they may be two very familiar faces in the world of Hollywood,
the lovebirds actually prefer to stay out of the public eye.
They live on an 800-acre ranch in Wyoming. During an interview with Parade in February 2020,
Harrison revealed their favorite activities to do when they are at their home in the west.
"Well, if my chores are done and there's nothing more pressing and the weather's good,
I'll go flying — I love to fly up there — or walk in the woods, do some work,
ride my road bike or mountain bike,"
But his hobbies - specifically the flying of planes - haven't always been very safe. In 2015,
Ford was in a near-fatal plane crash after a plane he was piloting suffered an engine malfunction.
His wife immediately rushed to be by his side, and despite the crash,
she didn't stop him from continuing his dangerous hobby.
After the crash, Ford said, "My wife, who is a wonderful lady, understands my passion for
aviation, she understands what it means to me and flies with me to this day."
It's that understanding and support, along with Caslista's ability to look past her
husband's relationship history and ignore any critical tabloids,
that's been the foundation of making their marriage work. The actor also opened up about
the secret to their marriage, which has now been going on for 11 years.
He explained that if there's ever something that you disagree about, just "don't talk." Rather "nod
your head" and accept that you're going to agree to disagree. Seeing that they've been together
for over a decade, that's probably a lesson that we should take note of and keep for future use.
By focusing on the love they have for one another and their family
and ignoring the opinions of the outside world,
they were able to put all of their energy into building a strong foundation and nurturing a
relationship that has managed to stand the test of time. Which in Hollywood is pretty amazing!
Their love story is a lesson in never judging a book by its cover and listening to your heart.
Not to let things like age and history get in the way of allowing you to find love.
Not many had faith in this pairing, and yet Ford and Flockhart have been going strong,
and the love they have for each other is growing stronger by the decade!